Contact Me

If you enjoy my blog and would like to contact me, you may reach me at this email: dena.netherton@gmail.com

Some of my stories are published in:
A Cup of Comfort Devotional for Mothers and Daughters (Adams Media, 2009)
Chicken Soup: What I Learned from the Dog (2009)
Love is a Flame (Bethany House, 2010)
Extraordinary answers to Prayer (Guideposts, 2010)
Love is a Verb (Bethany House, 2011)
Big Dreams from Small Spaces (Group Publishing, 2012)

Monday, February 8, 2010

Correcting the Course

My mother was a very dramatic woman. When some disappointment came her way, she'd often say, "
Oh well, it's not the end of the world."
Indeed not. Nothing is the end of the world except the end of the world.
How do you feel when something you've pinned your hope on - getting published, getting an award, a job - dosn't happen?
Do you feel as if you've failed and that it's the end of all your hopes and dreams?
Consider Abraham Lincoln, our sixteenth president:
Poor
Mother died when he was nine
Unable to pay for college
Patented a device which proved impractical and was never used
Partner in a general store wich failed, leaving him in debt
Defeated in a bid for Illinois general assembly
Defeated twice in bid for U.S. Senate
Courted Mary Todd in secret because her family didn't approve of him
Suffered from frequent bouts of depression
Only one of his four sons survived to adulthood

Yet, inspite of all these disappointment, Abraham Lincoln pressed on to become one of our greatest presidents.

"As a disciple of Christ, failure is not damnation; it's a correction in course." Please post that quote somewhere where you'll see it often throughout your day.
What a blessing that we have a loving Father who'll teach us through our "failures."
Next failure that comes along, say to yourself: "I'm correcting my course."
Teach your family members this quote so they can encourage each other when the next "failure" comes around the bend.
"As a disciple of Christ, failure is not damnation; it's a correction in course."

I've been through tons of "corrections" this year. How about you?

Proverbs 15:32 "He who ignores discipline despise himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding."

6 comments:

  1. I love that quote, Dena. Did Lincoln say that or someone else? Thanks for the dose of wisdom today.

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  2. This is a great post Dena! A good reminder about course corrections.

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  3. yep, we all need a reminder...thanks, Dena!

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  4. I've seen so many writers punish themselves with self-doubt when they have set-backs that I came up with the quote to encourage them. Thanks, Michele, Danica and Margaret. May God bless your artistic endeavors.

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  5. Our pastors says that we can make these failures a stumbling block or a stepping stone, it is up to us.
    I love the thought of failure being a course correction.

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  6. Thanks, Diane. Failure stings, but the most boring people I've met are those who never risk anything.

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